Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 34:7/רמב"ן על בראשית ל״ד:ז׳
אוְכֵן לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה לְעַנּוֹת הַבְּתוּלוֹת, שֶׁהָאֻמּוֹת גָּדְרוּ עַצְמָן מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת מִפְּנֵי הַמַּבּוּל, לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ל"ד:ז'). וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי זֶה, כִּי הַכְּנַעֲנִים שְׁטוּפִים בָּעֲרָיוֹת וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבַזָּכוּר, דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא יח כז) "כִּי אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵל עָשׂוּ אַנְשֵׁי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר לִפְנֵיכֶם", וְלֹא הִתְחִילוּ בָּהֶן בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר, וּבִימֵי אַבְרָהָם וְיִצְחָק הָיוּ יְרֵאִים פֶּן יַהַרְגוּ אוֹתָן לָקַחַת נְשֵׁיהֶם. אֲבָל "וְכֵן לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה" נִמְשָׁךְ עִם "בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל", כִּי נְבָלָה עָשָׂה בְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְכֵן לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בָּהֶם, עַל כֵּן אָמַר "בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל", כִּי אֵינֶנָּה נְבָלָה בֵּין הַכְּנַעֲנִים. וְאוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על בראשית ל"ד:ז') אָמַר, "לֹא כָשַׁר לְאִתְעַבְדָא", לוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא אָסוּר, וּלְכָךְ הִיא נְבָלָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל:
1AND THUS IT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE. I.e., to do violence to maidens, for the nations “had fenced themselves round” against unchastity as a result of the Flood. This is Rashi’s language. But I do not know this, for the Canaanites were immersed in unchastity with women, beasts and males, as it is written, For all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you,128 and they did not begin such practices in that generation [but rather it was their traditional behavior], and even in the days of Abraham and Isaac, the patriarchs feared lest they kill them in order to take their wives. Instead, the expression, and thus it ought not to be done, refers back to the word beyisrael (in Israel): because he had wrought a vile deed in Israel… and thus it ought not to be done among them. This is why Scripture said in Israel for it was not a base deed among the Canaanites. And Onkelos translated: “It is not proper that it be done,” meaning that it is forbidden, and that is why it was a base deed in Israel.